PolitiFinder

1960 North Carolina Gubernatorial Election

North Carolina · 2 candidates · See every 1960 Governor race

Who won the 1960 North Carolina Gubernatorial Election?

Terry Sanford won the 1960 North Carolina Gubernatorial Election. Terry Sanford received 735,248 popular votes (54.45%). The main challenger was Robert L. Gavin (45.47%).

See the full head-to-head between Sanford and Gavin

Sanford +9.0 pts · won by 121,273 votes
Terry SanfordDemocraticWINNER54.45%
735,248 votes
Robert L. GavinRepublican45.47%
613,975 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.